Facebook makes GIF format usable in comments

June 15, 2017 - 11:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Happy birthday to the GIF! The venerable file format turns 30 on Thursday, June 15, and Facebook is taking the opportunity to add a few GIF-related features to its service. Users could already post GIFs in status updates, but from June 15, you’ll now be able to add GIFs in Facebook comments, allowing you to search through and select from a list of relevant files right there in the social network’s interface, The Verge reveals.

Facebook is also using the day to salute the surprisingly resilient format, throwing what it calls a “GIF party,” and offering statistics on its existing GIF usage.

More than 13 billion GIFs were sent last year via Facebook Messenger after the company made the format usable on the chat service. The busiest day for GIFs was apparently January 1st this year, with more than 400 million sent, as hungover people across the globe let a short moving image do the legwork of expressing their friendship and love for them.